THE Kickstart Scheme has had a lasting positive impact on Glasgow businesses and the young people who accessed it. 

The economic and social disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic threatened lasting effects on employment, particularly for the younger generation. 

One of the initiatives launched to ease the effects of the pandemic on youth employment and help bridge the skills gap was the Kickstart Scheme. 

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Launching in September 2020, the scheme provided fully funded, six-month work placements for 16 to 24-year-olds, with additional support for training and development. 

During its two-year run, more than 200 Glasgow businesses have been supported to create 900 new roles for young people, upskilling the next generation and providing a vital opportunity for 16 to 24-year-olds to take their first steps on the career ladder, with 70% moving onto positive destinations following their placement. 

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce acted as a gateway organisation for businesses looking to get involved, liaising with the Department of Work and Pensions to deliver the initiative in Glasgow. 

To date, 565 young people completed a Kickstart placement with the support of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. 

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Alison McRae, senior director of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce said: "This scheme provided a vital lifeline for young people whose entry into the working world and professional progression would have otherwise been stunted by the pandemic.

"Being able to offer young people fully funded industry-specific courses allowed participating young people to gain more knowledge in relation to their job role, enhance their CV, and in turn, boost business productivity.

"Kickstart has empowered the next generation of young professionals in Glasgow and helped close the ever-growing skill gap amidst one of the biggest challenges ever faced by business and young people alike."

Connect Three, a Glasgow-based HR Consultancy firm used the funding to employ Gregor Murray as a learning coordinator. 

Barbara Clark, organisational development consultant at Connect Three, said: "The nature of our business means, our partners, clients, and customers, often see our products and services, our consultancy with our years of expertise and experience, or the facilitation of a programme in person or online.

"Behind the scenes, there is so much work, and detail, that goes into making sure how we support a business, is exactly right to help them thrive and grow, and change how they do business.

"Taking part in the Kickstart programme has helped provide that behind-the-scenes essential support to our team, to enable our team to deliver the right solutions to our clients.

"There are important and crucial activities that are not always transparent to the world - from admin, design, set up, purchasing and communication - that this additional support has provided to our business, whilst providing Gregor with opportunities to learn about the world of learning and development and what it takes to provide the best solutions to our clients."

Gregor Murray, learning coordinator at Connect Three, said: "The Kickstart Scheme has allowed me to jump straight into an industry I thought I’d have to wait years to break into.

"My role is really varied which has allowed me to see a number of departments in action and learn about my responsibilities and how they connect to the business as a whole.

"The rest of the team has been incredibly welcoming and answered my many, many questions.

"I’m really grateful that I took the opportunity provided by the scheme and look forward to continuing to progress my career."

In addition, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce designed a unique wraparound service offering dedicated packages of support and industry relating training for young people utilising the scheme. 

This support included employability training halfway through their placement delivered by mentors from partner organisations including Business Glasgow and Progressive Pathways.

Glasgow Chamber of Commerce organised 95 different training courses for young people to take part in during their time in a Kickstart role.

This included 56 young people who gained a First Aid qualification, four gaining their Forklift license and another 64 young people attending customer service training.